Did the earth move for you last night?

I experienced my first earthquake last night. Well technically I experienced one when I was five years old but I’m not counting that one because I slept through it and last night’s rumble makes me wonder how I did.

You have to understand, I live in rural NSW Australia and up until last night earthquakes were something that happen in other places around the world, not here. What I experienced was mild, only a 4.3, however it really made me wonder how people in Japan, New Zealand and the other places who have lived through anything over a 6 stay where they are afterwards. Yes it scared the hell out of me and had me talking about the man I usually don’t mention. While I got my head around what had just happened all I could manage to say was ‘”oh my god”.

As Australia’s most famous rock band AC/DC say – the walls were shaking – and I didn’t like it at all. Two tremors, ten seconds each and I lost it for about a half an hour. Why?

In the light of day and after much discussion with family, friends, neighbours and just about every person in the supermarket this morning, it now seems a whole lot less scary. But everyone is asking the same questions trying to work out what exactly they felt. Will it happen again? What made it happen? Why here and now?

The population of the New England North West of NSW shared the experience and are now thanking their lucky stars it wasn’t worse. Nearly 24 hours later and no aftershocks have been felt, let’s keep our fingers crossed it stays that way.

I have a confession to make, I adore the beauty of nature but it also scares me. Earthquakes, volcanos, tornados, cyclones, tsunamis and the like answer to no one. One could create another or occur independently and we, the self proclaimed most intellectual species to occupy this planet, can do nothing about it but get out of the way if possible. When you think about it this way; what really is the dominate and superior entity on this planet after all?

After Mother Nature shaking her angry fist last night I say we all sit down and behave. She isn’t happy about something so let’s work out what that is and try to pacify her. We only think we are at the top of food chain when really we are as much at the mercy of nature as anything else on this planet.